While talking to journalist Waseem Badami’s on his show, the senior doctor said that he agreed with the demands of other doctors, adding that public prayers in mosques may have dangerous consequences in times of the coronavirus crisis.
“I think the countrywide lockdown has been very effective, although, some relief for basic industries in the lockdown is also necessary. However, I don’t agree with the government’s decision of lifting the ban on congregational prayers, since people livelihood don’t depend on praying in mosques,” the CMO of Shaukat Khanum Hospital said.
On Wednesday, the senior doctors of Karachi held a press conference and demanded the federal government to ‘revisit’ their decision of opening mosques for the congregational prayers. The doctors were of the opinion that the decision taken would further spread the deadly coronavirus and the hospitals wouldn’t be able to treat those infected patients due to lack of facilities and resources.
The virus has claimed 222 lives in Pakistan, while 2,337 patients have recovered successfully and have discharged from the hospitals.
The national tally of coronavirus confirmed cases has risen to 10,513, with the provincial governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan confirming 4,590, 3,373, 1,453, 552 cases respectively. Meanwhile, 290 cases in Gilgit-Baltistan, 204 in Islamabad, and 51 in Kashmir have reported to date.